Question

Which judge of the Supreme Court was unsuccessfully sought to be impeached?
(A) Justice H.R. Khanna
(B) Justice A.N. Grover
(C) Justice M. Hidayatullah
(D) Justice Ramaswami

Answer 1

Hint: The President and judges, as well as the chief justice of the supreme court and high courts, can be prosecuted by the parliament before the termination of the tenure for the defilement of the Constitution. Other than prosecution, no other consequence can be given to a president in position for the defilement of the Constitution under Article 361 of the constitution. Nevertheless, a president after his/her tenure/exclusion can be penalized for his previously verified illegal action under affronting the constitution, etc.

Complete answer:
Veeraswami Ramaswami was a judge of the Supreme Court of India and the primary judge against whom elimination reports were started in independent India. A scandal emerged in the middle of the year 1990 when numerous media channels reported about his flamboyant disbursement on his official dwelling throughout his tenure as a Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana. In a grave turn of events, on February 1, 1991, the Supreme Court Bar Association approved a resolution calling for his impeachment and demanding Chief justice not allot him any additional legal work. Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties acquiesced to an announcement of a proposal to the Indian Parliament looking for his elimination from office. Acknowledging the proposal on March 12, 1991, Speaker Rabi Ray comprised a board constituted of Justice P B Sawant of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Prabodh Dinkarrao Desai of the Bombay High Court and Justice O Chinnappa Reddy, superannuated judge of the Supreme Court to examine the matter. The board found Ramaswami responsible for 11 out of 14 accusations.

Thus, option (D) is correct.

Note: The elimination proposal was placed in the Lok Sabha for discussion and voting on May 10, 1993. A well-known attorney and a Congress politician Kapil Sibal was his defence lawyer. Of 401 associates in attendance in the Lok Sabha that day, there were 196 votes for impeachment and no votes in contradiction of and 205 non participation by reigning Congress and its partners. The proposal needs a two-thirds majority of associates in attendance and voting of that house and a complete majority of its total involvement of that house thus botched to permit. The said conclusion was contested before the Supreme Court and they supported the verdict of the Parliament.